About Me and my obsession with Vintage Radio

I suppose obsession may be a bit strong
when I consider people like the late, great Gerry Wells but from
the point of view of my family thats what it
is.

Like many I guess the Philips Electronic
Engineer Kits (EE8 and A20) snared many of us into a life of
poverty but satisfying careers.

In my case Christmas 1964 I received the Philips
EE8 Kit as my main Christmas present and I got the A20 Kit for my
Birthday October 1965

I always planned my life to be in the Radio and
TV repair trade but as it happens that's not what happened for
better or worse, I did my best honest I took City and Guilds RTV1,
2 and 3 at Plymouth College of further
education.

I was seduced when I started looking for jobs
into the world of first military then industrial
electronics.

I joined Plessey Avionics and Communications in
1975 moving to Plessey Controls in 1978. Plessey Controls was taken
over by Siemens in 1989 and I'm still there.

The BVWS

I have been a BVWS member since 1985 and I highly
recommend anyone interested in Vintage Radio and Television to join
this fantastic Society you can find us by clicking
here:http://www.bvws.org.uk/

Post War Battery Valve
Sets of all Makes

As well as Cossor Radios
I have had a long term interest in post war all dry Battery sets
particularly the portables. Ever Ready being a special interest due
to the sheer number of different sets they
produced.

During the late 1960's
when I was actively scrounging parts to make my radio projects
these were relatively plentiful source of spare parts so over the
years many were dispatched at my hands.

The valves were in the
main of little use to me at that time since most of my projects by
1968 were solid state and already the HT batteries were becoming
difficult and expensive to source.

Today I have
examples representing most of the main manufactures of these sets.
Ever Ready carried on making a battery valve portable set all the
way up the 1961 but I think that was the last of these battery
valve sets by any of the major UK manufacturers, most of whom had
transistor sets on the market by 1958. Ever Ready themselves were
selling the Sky Leader Transistor Radio from May
1958.

Although not entirely
valve I have included one of my HMV 1410B's same as Marconiphone
P60B released June 1957 on this page since they are a bridge
between the technologies even though by the time the P60B was
released for sale there was already a full solid state portable
Radio (PAM 710) available for sale from a UK manufacturer since
March 1956.

The sets are in no particular order just as I
round them up and snap a
picture.

HMV 1410B June 1957 3 Valve 2
Transistors Battery set

Bush BP90 November 1946 4 Valve Battery
Set

EKCO BP257 June 1956 4 Valve Battery set

Cossor 527X Circa 1955
Export Battery set designed to be resistant to insect
attack.

One of the stars of my collection especially when I know
I broke at least one of these when I was in my teens Ever Ready Sky
Monarch VHF January 1955 9 Valves + tuning indicator. This set is a
real beast and I have the AM version as well.

Ever Ready Sky Monarch AM only version Jan 1955 6 Valve
+ tuning indicator Battery Set see the AM/FM version on this page
these really were top of the range battery sets

Marconiphone P20B December
1948

4 Valve Battery
set

Ever Ready Model B June
`1947 4 Valve Battery set

Vidor 432 Oct 1955 4 Valve
Battery set

Vidor CN429 My Lady Margaret
1954

4 Valve Battery
set

HMV 1451 4 Valve Battery
Mains set 1959. Odd that they built this after the 1410 which is a
Hybrid

Philips Annette LD462AB 1957 7 Valve
Battery set with VHF

Vidor CN396A Mains Battery set (1950)
just like the Bush BAC32 this has a valve rectifier on
mains.

Cossor 469 circa 1947
possibly the ugliest set ever built, uses the same chassis as the
Ever Ready Model C

Ever Ready Sky Captain April
1961 4Valve Battery set The last of the Battery Valve
portables?

PYE P29UBQ Jan 1950 4Valve
Battery Mains set

KB Rhapsody de Luxe PP251
1959 4 Valve Battery Mains set

Bush BAC31 with optional
type 42 mains unit. 4 Valve Battery set or 5 Valve Battery/Mains
set. This one has the correct select knob often used as a
replacement when its missing on DAC90A's